L.A. County sheriff’s employee microwaved blood evidence in his own DUI case, D.A. says
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A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s custodian who was facing a possible DUI charge took his blood sample from the arrest and microwaved it to destroy the evidence against him, prosecutors say.
Tommy Ray Trimble, 60, is charged with one felony count each of second-degree commercial burglary, preparing false evidence, destroying government records and one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence, according to a Los Angeles County district attorney’s office news release.
“We entrust our public officials and law enforcement officers to uphold the law, not to break it,” L.A. County Dist.rict Atty. Nathan Hochman said in the release. “Those who perform civic service should expect to be held to a higher standard. This wasn’t a mistake. This was a concerted effort to flout the law to escape justice.”
On July 7, 2024, Trimble, who worked as an evidence and property custodian at the sheriff’s crime laboratory in Downey, was arrested on the 91 Freeway in Compton and charged with driving under the influence, according to the release. His blood was drawn as part of the investigation.
On Sept. 11, 2024, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s criminalist at the Downey facility noticed that Trimble’s blood sample had been damaged, according to the release. Trimble is accused of going to a vault where evidence is stored and heating his blood sample in a microwave.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that they “separated’ with Trimble after the incident.
“The Department was made aware of the alleged misconduct on September 11, 2024, and it was immediately referred to the Department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau (ICIB) for a comprehensive review,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote. “Following a thorough investigation, the case was submitted to the Justice System Integrity Division (JSID) on August 21, 2025, for filing consideration.”
Trimble is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the Downey Courthouse. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.
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